It was Forbes' first ever list of The World's Most Powerful People. The company narrowed the list to 67 people. The goal in compiling the list was to expose power and not glorify it, according to the Forbes press statement.

The methodology assesses power using four criteria: the number of people one influences; one's ability to project power beyond one's immediate sphere of influence; control of or access to significant financial resources; and how actively one wields power, the statement said.